Good manners are simply codified kindness, and being in possession of them enhances the quality of your everyday life and that of the people around you. At home and abroad, Debora and Kay have done the fieldwork, made the mistakes, and committed enough embarrassing faux pas for two lifetimes, in the hope that you don’t have to.

Illustrations by Denise Dorrance

Good manners aren't about cutlery, codes or cleverness – they're about kindness.

Writers Kay Plunkett-Hogge and Debora Robertson have honed their combined social wisdom into a warm, witty, how-to guide on how to live modern life with manners – and have a lot of fun along the way.

Debora and Kay have done the fieldwork, made the mistakes, and committed enough embarrassing faux pas for two lifetimes, in the hope that you don’t have to! Their funny, frank handbook is your cheat sheet to every social situation, your right-hand man(ual) to styling out life with sass and a modicum of grace.

Their tried-and-tested guidelines are divided into five main categories:

At Home: family life; sharing is caring; entertaining at home; dinner; welcome to the neighbourhood

At Large: work; public spaces; public transport and petiquette – pets in public

At Play: social life; eating out, staying away; dating in the modern world

@ Your Computer: digital decorum; phones

At the End: dealing with illness and death

Good manners are not about knowing what to wear for drinks at six, being pretentious or catching people out with some mysterious salad-fork-related regulation. In essence, good manners are simply organised kindness, and Kay and Debora will show you how being in possession of them will enhance the quality of your everyday life and that of the people around you.

About the Authors

Debora Robertson is a pet enthusiast, food writer and journalist who has written for the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Red, Waitrose Kitchen, Sainsbury’s Magazine, BBC Good Food Magazine, Delicious Magazine and Country Life Magazine, among many others. She lives in north London with her husband S�an, her dogs Barney and Gracie, her cat Dixie and a mountain of cookbooks.

Kay Plunkett-Hogge is an acclaimed food and drinks writer and the author of Aperitivo: Drinks and Snacks For The Dolce Vita, Adventures Of A Terribly Greedy Girl, A Sherry And A Little Plate Of Tapas, Heat: Cooking With Chillies and Make Mine A Martini. In addition to her own books, Kay has co-authored a further six books, working with the award-winning chef Bryn Williams on his two books Bryn’s Kitchen and For The Love Of Veg, Academy Award nominated actor Stanley Tucci on his second cookbook The Tucci Table, and with the American pizza guru Chris Bianco. She also co-wrote Leon: Family and Friends with John Vincent and Cook Yourself Thin: Quick and Easy. She writes a monthly column for delicious magazine and lives in London with her husband, cats and dogs.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

ThriftBooks is a fully independent seller of used books, having sold more than 160 million used and new books since we started in 2003. Each quality used book is sorted, graded, shelved and shipped by hand by our team of dedicated employees in our seven warehouses across the US. We have the best selection of books, in the right condition and format, at everyday low prices. We also have a dedicated, US-based Customer Service team, ranked in the top three by Newsweek for Best Customer Service in 2018 and 2019, so you can shop with confidence. We support and invest in our employees, appreciate and value our customers, and truly believe in the power of the written word to educate, energize, and engage readers of all ages and interests.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Thrift Books Global, LLC
18300 Cascade Ave S, Ste 150, Seattle, WA, 98188, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described
on the Abebooks website. If you're dissatisfied with your
purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the
order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30
days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your
mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the "Ask
bookseller a question link to contact us" and we'll respond
as soon as possible.

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to ThriftBooks-Atlanta, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

Shipping Terms

All domestic Standard and Expedited shipments are distributed from our warehouses by OSM, then handed off to the USPS for final delivery.

2-Day Shipping is delivered by FedEx, which does not deliver to PO boxes.

International shipments are tendered to the local postal service in the destination country for final delivery – we do not use courier services for international deliveries.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	4 to 8 business days	4 to 8 business days
First item	� 0.00	� 0.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.